International and Transnational Criminal Law Training Course Marks New Asser - Cassese Initiative Cooperation

From 5 to 9 February 2018, the Asser Institute and the Antonio Cassese Initiative will host a training course on international and transnational criminal law (ICL and TCL) for judges and prosecutors from francophone African countries, including Mali, Cote d’Ivoire, Congo, Burkina Faso, Niger and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The training course, entitled ‘Strengthening Domestic Capacity to Prosecute International and Transnational Crimes in Africa’, will offer a high-quality training on the prosecution and adjudication of international and transnational crimes. It will develop by means of thematic modules which delve into issues such as the element of crimes, the implementation of customary and treaty law in national contexts, international standards of due process and cooperation with international courts and tribunals.

By increasing knowledge of ICL and TCL and strengthening specialised competences in these fields, the course aims to contribute to the fight against impunity for international and transnational crimes, increase the standard of fairness in national proceedings and stimulate cooperation with the International Criminal Court (ICC) and among national authorities.

The language of instruction is French, aiming to fill a gap in the teaching of these subjects.

The training course will feature a number of high-level speakers coming from international courts and tribunals in The Hague and several academic and professional institutions and organisations focusing on ICL and TCL, international humanitarian law, as well as international human rights law.

The Asser Institute and the Cassese Initiative are grateful to The Hague Municipality, the International Nuremberg Principles Academy, the International Committee of the Red Cross for their financial support, and to the African Institute of International Law based in Arusha for their collaboration. 

This training course marks the beginning of increased cooperation between the Asser Institute and the Antonio Cassese Initiative, which aims at setting up a permanent training facility on ICL and TCL for magistrates coming from countries facing challenges in the administration of justice. This permanent facility seeks to become the go-to venue for prosecutorial and judicial training courses regarding international and transnational crimes, as these concepts are increasingly intertwined.

For the full programme of the training course click here.